TEMECULA: Special-needs girls shine at Miss Spectacular 2012

Jeff Sanders

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Dressed head-to-toe as Little Orphan Annie, Corrie Snell smiled wide as she traveled down the catwalk on stage at Great Oak High School, her chorus to “Tomorrow” reverberating loud and clear as a crowd of about 1,000 cheered her on in a packed performing arts theater.

A 16-year-old junior from Chaparral High School, Snell is a special-needs student with Down syndrome. On Wednesday night, she was just special.

“Singing is her passion; she loves it more than anything,” said Julie Snell, Corrie’s mother. “She wakes up in the morning singing and she goes to bed singing. This was her night to do what she loves best and share it with all of her friends.”

It wasn’t just Snell’s night, either.

Fourteen girls from Temecula were front and center as part of Miss Spectacular 2012, a pageant for young women with physical and mental disabilities that allowed the contestants to showcase both inner and outer beauty.

Produced by high school students from Great Oak and Temecula Valley high schools, in conjunction with the city of Temecula, the pageant paraded the Temecula-area girls on stage in a production that included video interviews, talent showcases and a dance performance. At the end, all 14 girls - whose disabilities ranged from Down syndrome to tuberous sclerosis - were crowned winners with tiaras, roses and a sash to cherish what organizers believe to be life-changing moments.

“It means so much to them and their families because they get to treasure it forever,” said Alexis Kutscher, the pageant’s co-founder and senior class president at Great Oak. “They don’t get that a lot and that’s what we wanted to do – give the girls a true moment to shine.”

And shine they did.

Emileigh Lozon blew a kiss to the crowd as she walked off stage during introductions; Kateri Zamastil slammed fives with the audience during her rendition of “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” and Kayla Brown brought the crowd to its feet with a dance routine to the Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump it.”

Temecula Councilman Mike Naggar was among the audience members who appreciated a pageant aimed at helping special-needs students break down social barriers and break out of their shells. His 7-year-old son Liam is an autistic child and Naggar, the incoming mayor, is well aware of the challenges that families face.

He’s also aware of the rewards – like Wednesday’s event.

“We see miracles all the time,” he said. “When I see this turnout, that’s a miracle. Your hearts are very tender.”

Miss Spectacular 2012 is an offshoot of an event that Kutscher and classmate Gaby Padilla founded last year, when they paraded six Great Oak girls in a similar pageant before a crowd of about 500. This year, they expanded their venture to include Temecula Valley High School and the city of Temecula in an event that morphed into a communitywide effort.

A number of foundations set up informational booths outside the performing arts center, the Assistance League of Temecula Valley provided the girls’ gowns, Friar Tux provided their escorts’ ties, SAP Digital donated the girls’ pink pageant shirts and Paul Mitchell helped pamper the girls in preparation for the event.

“I just loved seeing the girls out there,” said Kutscher, who is also the president of Helping Unite Growing Kids. The group known as HUGS is Great Oak’s largest on-campus club at 150 strong. “A lot of the girls standing up there I’ve worked with since sixth grade. It means a lot because I’ve got to see the girls grow up and grow so much as people.”

It certainly meant a lot to Julie Snell, who gathered with friends and family for pictures with Corrie after she was crowned Miss Extravagant, one of 14 titles bestowed upon the girls.

“Everything she is is because of her friends and the people in this community, and the high school kids, her peers, just love her and support her,” Julie Snell said. “This whole night was incredible. The spirit here with the kids was amazing. I can’t put it into words.”